Takin' Care
by Griffin Stone
Summary: Four times Lance took care of his teammates, and one time they took care of him. (Part one of the In' Trilogy.)
1. Hunk

**A/N: I've wanted to do one of these stories for a while, and inspiration finally struck. There will be five chapters, each focusing on a different paladin. Updates will be sporadic. It takes place someplace in the middle of season one.**

 **This chapter ended up more serious than I intended, and longer. The other chapters probably won' t be as long, but that's okay.**

* * *

Lance had known Hunk long enough to realize when his friend wasn't feeling well. He was surprised when no one noticed when the yellow paladin only poked at his food goo at dinner.

When Hunk was first to leave the table, though, it was enough to raise eyebrows.

"Did I just see what I think I did?" Pidge asked when Hunk had left.

"He didn't even finish," Keith added, pointing to Hunk's half-full plate.

With a series of squeaks, Allura's pet mice scrambled to the top of the table and began munching on the green substance.

Coran huffed. "He just can't appreciate good food." With that, the orange-haired advisor scooped up a huge mouthful.

Lance pushed away from the table. "I'm going to go check on him."

"Want me to come along?" Shiro offered, half-standing.

Lance waved a hand. "Nah. He's probably just tired."

Lance's idea was met with nods and a few small glares in Allura's direction. She had been training them hard for the last few days, since their travels hadn't brought them across any Galra patrols.

Allura cleared her throat self-consciously. "Maybe we should take it easy tomorrow."

"Care to lengthen that offer?" Lance asked with a wide grin.

Allura returned the mischievous look. "Of course. I'm sure Coran could use your help around the Castle."

"Why, yes." Coran perked up. "There is a whole level of rooms that need to be cleaned and dusted."

Lance's face fell. "Well… never mind." He rushed off as the others laughed.

* * *

Lance tapped on Hunk's closed door. "Hunk? Buddy, are you alright in there?"

When he got no response, Lance slowly opened the door. It was possible Hunk really had just been tired, and had fallen asleep.

Hunk's room was a slightly messy jumble of blankets and random ingredients he had picked up on their travels. A couple of devices Hunk was tinkering with were laying on a dresser. His yellow paladin armor was in a neat pile at the foot of the bed.

But no Hunk.

Lance stepped back, frowning in thought. He was sure that if Hunk was tired or sick, he would go to his room. Where else-

Lance smacked his forehead. "Of course! Yellow!" He turned away and trotted in the direction of the hanger.

* * *

"Oka-ay, I thought he would be here," Lance mused to himself.

Yellow was sitting in her hanger, but the worktable Hunk could sometimes be found stationed at was empty.

Lance was about to leave when he heard a slight noise. He hesitated, eyes narrowing in thought.

"Hello?"

No response, and Lance started to become nervous. He could still distinctly remembered his experiences with the "haunted" Castle. Being trapping in a cryo-pod and almost sucked out into space had that effect.

The noise repeated, and Lance started to back away.

"Lance?"

Lance jumped at the sound of his name. Now the Castle was talking to him?! That was the last straw, and Lance spun around. He was about to take off, then the noise became recognizable.

It was moaning. And the voice, Lance realized, had been Hunk's. Low, and tired-sounding, but still Hunk's.

"Hunk? Was that you?" Lance asked, still wary.

"Over here." The statement was punctuated by a groan.

Lance finally figured out where the sounds were coming from: between Yellow's paws. He crept forward -grabbing a bowl from the worktable as a precaution- and peeked between the large yellow paws.

"Hunk!" Lance exclaimed.

Hunk was pale and sweaty, and slumped against Yellow's paw. He gave Lance a tiny smile, but the act seemed to tire him. Then a grimace crossed his face and he gave a low groan.

Lance shook off his shock and crouched at Hunk's side. "Hey, man. I haven't seen you like this since the simulator back at the Garrison."

"Ugh, I haven't felt… like this since… the Garrison," Hunk said, groaning every few words.

"What's wrong?"

Hunk grimaced, a hand coming up to press against his stomach. "Is it possible… to catch… a stomach bug… in space?"

"I'm not sure. I wonder what sort of net one would use," Lance joked.

Hunk groaned, startling Lance.

"How bad is it?" Lance asked.

"Very… bad," Hunk said slowly, making Lance bite his lip in worry. But then he added, "Bad… joke."

"Ah, everyone's a critic," Lance huffed, nudging Hunk's shoulder.

Hunk chuckled, but broke off with a loud groan. His eyes squeezed shut, and his breathing became labored.

"Hunk? Hunk, look at me," Lance said sternly. He put a hand on Hunk's forehead, quickly pulling it back. "Quiznak, you're hot. When did this start?"

Hunk slowly peeked open his eyes. "This morning?"

Lance huffed, remembering the intense training Allura had put them through that day. "You should have said something. Allura wouldn't have made you train if she knew you were sick."

Hunk gave a dry chuckle. "You sure?"

"Hm, if not, we could have taken Blue and Yellow into space until you felt better. None of the others would have forced you."

Hunk gave a small grin. He opened his mouth to respond, but froze as what little color remained in his face vanished.

Knowing what was about to come, Lance shoved the bowl into Hunk's hands. Hunk's body clenched, then he lost what food goo he had managed to eat at dinner.

Lance crouched silently at his friend's side, rubbing Hunk's back in an attempt at comfort.

When Hunk finally sat back, paler than ever and shaking, Lance gently took the bowl and set it aside.

"We need to get you to the med bay, right away," Lance said in worry.

Hunk groaned and started to lean sideways. Lance quickly inserted his body beside Hunk's, letting his friend lean on his shoulder. Hunk's eyes began to slide shut.

"Hunk? Hunk, don't close your eyes," Lance said, giving Hunk a quick shake. "We need to find out what you have, first." He sighed when Hunk managed to get his eyes open.

"So… tired."

"I know, I know," Lance said in a soothing tone. "It might just be a flu or something. Space flu. Tell you what, if it's something new, we can name it after you." Lance spread his hands out in front of him as if framing a sign. "'Hunk virus.' Sound good?"

Hunk mumbled, his head drooping against Lance's shoulder. He gave a heavy sigh, but Lance was proud to see him keeping his eyes open.

Lance chewed on his lip. It was still possible that Hunk only had a case of the flu, even if it was severe, but he couldn't ignore the fact that there could be illnesses out here that would spell disaster on the human body.

The problem was, there was no way Lance could support a sick Hunk all the way to the med bay and there weren't any intercoms near enough for Lance to use. And Lance wasn't about to leave Hunk alone, not for a second.

"Any chance you could stand?" Lance tried.

Hunk sighed, and Lance sagged in disappointment. Then, a moment later, Hunk pressed his hands against the floor and slowly leaned forward.

"That's it, you got it," Lance encouraged, scrambling to his feet to support Hunk.

It took several minutes, a good deal of groaning, and a lot of strength Lance didn't know he had, but Hunk was finally standing.

The pair stood unsteadily still for a moment, Hunk barely keeping himself upright even with Lance supporting most of his weight.

" _This won't work,"_ Lance thought in despair.

Then there was a rattling from behind. Lance turned his head to see Yellow place her head to the ground and open her mouth.

"Good idea! Hunk, do you think you can take ten steps, just ten, to get inside Yellow? She can take us to the others, and they can help you to med bay," Lance urged.

Hunk groaned, but turned and walked on shuffling feet toward Yellow's mouth.

"That's it! Just five more steps. Four more." Their feet touched ramp. "Look, we're inside, just a little farther."

Hunk managed three more steps, then his shaking legs gave out. Lance grunted and tried to ease the fall, but Hunk was still more jolted than Lance wanted. Lance winced sympathetically, and helped Hunk lean against the side of Yellow's jaw. As Yellow's mouth closed and Lance could feel her stand, he settled Hunk as well as he could and gently pulled out of Hunk's grasp.

Hunk groaned. His eyes, which had started to slide shut, jolted open. His expression was clouded and panicked as he reached out to grab Lance's arm.

"It's okay," Lance said in a soothing tone. "I just need to contact the others, and I'll be right back, okay? I promise."

Hunk sighed, face creasing, but he released his grip. Lance stood and sprinted to the cockpit. He pressed the intercom button and the Castle bridge showed up on the screen. Lance was relieved to see Coran, Allura, and Shiro in the bridge, though they were facing away from the screen.

"Guys, mayday, yellow alert!" Lance cried, making his teammates start in surprise and spin around.

"Lance, stop kidding around," Shiro admonished.

Lance shook his head and made himself calm down. "Something's wrong with Hunk."

The others immediately tensed.

"What's wrong?" Allura asked.

Lance glanced behind him when he heard Hunk weakly calling his name. "I'm not sure, but he's sick bad. Yellow's taking us out front, I think. Meet us there!" Without bothering to sign off, Lance rushed off to return to Hunk.

As Lance crouched at Hunk's side, he couldn't hold back a wince. Hunk was as pale as a sheet. His eyelids fluttered, and his breath came in wet-sounding pants. He had been sick again when Lance was gone.

"Hey, man, just hang in there for a few more minutes." Lance glanced up when he felt Yellow settle. "The others are coming now."

The ramp opened up, but Lance didn't turn from Hunk's strained face. He heard a gasp, then Pidge was at his side.

"Hunk, what happened?!" Pidge cried with an edge of panic she rarely let invade her voice.

"We need to get him to a pod," Shiro said from behind Lance.

The rest of the team surrounded Hunk, Coran with some sort of hovering stretcher. With everyone's help, Hunk was quickly moved onto the stretcher. Shiro and Coran shoved it off, with the others close behind.

* * *

Several hours later, Lance was huddled in front of the pod holding Hunk. Coran had assured the team that the sickness that had infected Hunk -while quite violent- would cause no permanent harm to the yellow paladin.

Still, he couldn't bring himself to leave the pod. Memories of Hunk's pasty skin and labored breathing haunted him.

Lance heard footsteps, then Shiro sat beside him. The pair sat in silence, watching Hunk's slow, steady breaths.

"Hunk is lucky to have you," Shiro finally said. "If it hadn't been for you, we might not have realized how bad Hunk was so quickly."

Lance shrugged. "We've known each other since we started at the Garrison four years ago. We were teamed up from the start. Crew have to really know each other." The last sentence held a hint of a challenge.

Shiro rubbed the back of his neck. "You're right. I should have noticed something was off."

Lance sighed. "I shouldn't have said that. You've only known him for, what, three weeks? Hunk doesn't like to show when he's feeling off, anyway. The other cadets used to tease him all the time, because he was always getting sick in the simulator."

"He's really improved since then," Shiro observed.

"Yeah. Who would have thought that getting teleported halfway across the galaxy could cure flight sickness," Lance said with a slight chuckle.

"You know… you're the reason Hunk is here," Shiro said.

Lance cocked his head. "How so?"

"Four years is a long time. If Hunk was as bad with flying as you say, why did he stay?"

Lance shrugged. "He always wanted to be a mechanic. The Garrison requires you to be able to ride in the ship before deciding you are qualified to fix it."

"I bet you could have advanced to fighter pilot a long time ago if you had had a different mechanic," Shiro said in an off-hand way.

Lance's eyes widened. "And leave Hunk? Never! If he was stuck with another cadet who could do nothing but be hurtful about his flight sickness, he would never get to be a ship mechanic! No one understands his love of mechanics!"

"Except for you," Shiro said quietly.

Lance opened his mouth, paused, then closed it again. "Yeah, I got it. I felt the same way about being a fighter pilot, but I never was… quite good enough. Hunk helped me, too, explaining things that the teachers never took the time to help me with. Gradually, I got better, then Keith got kicked out, Hunk and I were next in line." Lance looked at the floor. "I… never told Hunk this, but Commander Iverson suggested getting a new mechanic. Said I would have a better chance at rising through the ranks."

"And?"

"I didn't, obviously. Hunk and I had come so far together… _that's_ what being crew members is all about, not the highest grades."

Shiro stood and laid a gentle hand on Lance's shoulder. He repeated softly, "Hunk's lucky to have you."

Shiro walked from the room, leaving Lance to watch over his best friend.

* * *

 **A/N: Next up: Pidge simply needs to sleep, but refuses to. Lance takes drastic measures.**


	2. Pidge

**A/N:** **Since Pidge is my fav. (one of these days I will write a fic for just her), she has the silliest chapter.**

* * *

Lance entered the lounge, narrow-eyed as he searched for a fellow paladin.

Hunk and Coran were standing in the corner, talking in tones almost too serious, considering it was dinner they were discussing. Shiro was studying a hand-held screen, probably keeping up on the Castle's defenses. Allura was sitting on the couch, grooming three of the space mice. Keith was beside her, pretending to ignore the mouse on his lap while he gently patted its head.

Someone was missing.

"Where's Pidge?" Lance asked.

Everyone looked up, then around for the smallest member.

"I saw her at breakfast," Hunk offered.

"She said she was going to work on some tech in her room," Shiro said.

"I saw Number Five heading for Green's hanger, just a varga ago," Coran piped up.

"Did she seem… off to anyone?" Lance asked.

"Yeah, I don't think she slept last night," Hunk said. "She was trying to put food goo up her nose."

"She called me Coran, but I thought she was just kidding," Allura said. One of the mice squeaked up at her, and she added, "Pidge spent the night in Green's hanger, not sleeping."

Keith sighed and shook his head. "How long do you think she'll go this time?"

Hunk laughed. "I say three quintants. She actually slept earlier this movement."

As the others started discussing Pidge would go before sleeping, Lance shook his head. While Pidge's tendency to forget things like sleep were amusing at times, he was getting worried about her.

"This isn't healthy for her."

The others paused and turned to Lance in surprise.

"What do you mean? You're normally egging her on," Keith said.

"I don't think we should let her keep doing this," Lance said. "What if we had a mission right now? Pidge wouldn't be able to function."

Shiro raised his hands in a helpless gesture. "What can we do? We can't make her sleep."

Lance crossed his arms, then started for the door. "Leave it to me."

* * *

Lance went straight to Green's hanger, figuring that was his best shot. His instinct proved to be correct, as he immediately spotted Pidge sitting on Green's paw. Lance strolled over and leaned against Green's paw, studying Pidge out of the corner of his eye.

There were dark shadows under Pidge's eyes, and she was squinting mightily at the computer screen in front of her. She didn't seem to notice Lance until he spoke.

"What are you doin'?"

Pidge jumped, then glared at Lance. "When did you get here?"

"Just now." Lance pushed himself upright. "And hey, I asked you first."

"My hanger. My questions take priority."

Lance cocked his head. Was that sleep-deprived Pidge talking, or was that sound logic? Either way, Lance decided, he'd have to use that on Keith one of these days.

Lance turned his attention back to Pidge, who was staring moodily at the screen. "So what are you doing?"

"Working on Green's cloaking. It needs to last longer."

Lance peered at the computer screen full of technical symbols he only half-understood. "Sounds complicated. Been at it long?"

"Only since this morning." Pidge lifted her head and blinked. "Wait, what day is it?"

"I'm pretty sure it's been two days," Lance offered.

"Oh, okay." Pidge went back to typing.

Lance shook his head, then grinned as he got an idea. He reached up and snatched Pidge's computer from her lap.

For a moment, Pidge only stared at her empty lap. She frowned, as if trying to decipher how her computer had vanished, then lifted her head to glare at Lance.

"Give it back," she said, holding out a hand.

"Nope."

Pidge reached for the computer, but Lance held it out of her reach. She swung a fist at Lance, but he danced out of her reach.

The swing, though, through Pidge off-balance. She yelped as she tumbled forward, off Green's paw.

Reacting quickly, Lance managed to catch Pidge awkwardly under one arm while keeping hold on her computer with his other hand.

Pidge, one foot still laying on Green's paw while her front half was held up by Lance, glared.

"What? Would you rather I let you fall?"

Pidge huffed and didn't answer as Lance placed the computer on Green's paw and swung Pidge's foot to the ground. Pidge tried to pull away, but Lance kept his arm securely in place. She planted her feet and jerked, but Lance simply wrapped his other arm across her shoulders.

"Help me out," Pidge appealed to Green.

Green's only response was to lift up the paw where Pidge's laptop balanced, holding it high above the paladins' heads.

"Traitor," Pidge muttered.

"She, like me, realizes that you are tired and grumpy," Lance said playfully. "You need a nap."

"What I need is to keep working," Pidge growled.

Lance only chuckled and sat down, dragging Pidge with him. He plopped cross-legged on the ground with Pidge on his lap.

"What are you doing?" Pidge grumbled as Lance started rock back and forth.

"Trying to get you to relax," Lance said matter-of-the-factly. And with that, he began humming.

Pidge growled and struggled, but Lance's lanky arms were holding her firmly and gently in place. Finally, she gave up and leaned into Lance's chest.

For a moment, Pidge glared straight ahead. Then her stoic appearance was broken by a wide yawn. Lance's frame shook slightly as he chuckled at her.

Against her will, Pidge could feel herself relaxing. Lance's humming was strangely soothing, and body vibrated softly as he hummed. The rocking was gentle and smooth.

Then, unexpectedly, Lance began to sing.

" _Hush, little Pidgey, don't say a word,_

" _Lance's gonna buy you a mockingbird."_

Pidge groaned and pounded a fist on Lance's shoulder. Already half-asleep, there wasn't much force behind the punches. Lance grinned and sang on.

" _And if that mockingbird don't sing,_

" _Lance is gonna buy you a thermal spring."_

Pidge shook her head, settling more deeply in Lance's embrace. Her eyes drifted shut as Lance continued, each line getting more ridiculous.

" _And if that thermal spring don't spout,_

" _Lance is gonna by you some sauerkraut._

" _And if that sauerkraut don't stink,_

" _Lance is gonna buy you a little skink."_

Lance could -and had- go on for several dozen more lyrics, but Pidge was asleep by then. Her soft snores shook her slight frame.

Lance sighed contentedly and leaned back against Green's paw. He knew he could carry Pidge to her bed, but for now, he was happy with staying put for now.

* * *

Half an hour later, the rest of the team crept into the hanger. They peered around, but could see no sign of Lance or Pidge. Green was laying down.

"Where do you suppose they are?" Hunk asked.

Allura eyed Green's position. "I have an idea."

With Allura leading, they made their way over to Green. The giant green lion had her paws crossed, with her head hovering over them. Allura strained to see over Green's paw, then grinned and waved for the others to look.

Lance had fallen asleep and tipped over, still with his arms wrapped around Pidge and legs curled up under her.. Pidge had shifted in her sleep to press her face into Lance's chest, and Lance had his chin tucked over her head.

"Should we wake them up?" Keith asked.

"Or at least move them to their beds," Hunk suggested.

Shiro shook his head and whispered, "No need. They seem plenty comfortable where they are."

Shiro walked away and the others followed, leaving Lance and Pidge curled up like a pair of tiny cubs under Green's care.

* * *

 **A/N: -Happy sigh- I love how the ending turned out.**

 **Up next: Lance has to deal with a sleepwalking Shiro suffering from nightmares.**


	3. Shiro

**A/N: I didn't really know how to make Shiro's room or pajamas look, so... yeah. You get what you get, I guess. Had a little big bro to Pidge in here as well, but I couldn't help myself.**

 **Lance is big brother to the whole world.**

* * *

Lance jolted upright in bed, eyes snapping open. He quickly scanned the dim room, his tense frame relaxing and panting breathing calming down when he saw nothing of concern.

He lifted the clock Pidge and Hunk had made for each of the paladins, and saw it was about one in the morning Earth time. So it wasn't morning, and if Coran had called for the paladins, he knew to repeat the call a couple times.

Lance cocked his head in thought. He hadn't been dreaming, he didn't think, but something was urging him to stay awake and get out of bed.

Lance swung his feet out of bed and got dressed. Then he left the room, choosing a direction without thinking.

Most of Lance's friends knew of his occasional nightly wandering, but it was only a few members of his family that knew the reason behind them.

For as long as Lance could remember, he had had a sort of sixth sense about when family was awake at night for some reason. Whenever he woke at night with no reason, he would wander around until he found the person in need of comfort.

Until he met Hunk, he hadn't realized this tendency would spread beyond family members. But, after a few months at the Garrison, Lance had unexpectedly woken up to a homesick Hunk. After connecting with the other paladin and Alteans, Lance found the sense extending to them.

As Lance pattered bare-foot -he had forgotten his slippers- through the empty halls, he wondered who was awake this time. Most often, it was Pidge, missing her brother and father. Lance had been surprised to come across Allura a few weeks ago, awake and mourning her lost home.

Lance soon found himself at Pidge's room. He peeked inside, scanning the messy jumble of clothes, tech, and odds-and-ends she had picked up on various planets.

At first, Lance couldn't see the smallest member, then he spotted clumpy tan hair poking out from under the desk. Chuckling softly, Lance tip-toed over.

Pidge had, unsurprisingly, fallen asleep while working. She clutched her computer to her chest like a teddy bear.

Lance gently pried away the computer and carried Pidge to her bed. As it had been in the past, Pidge barely stirred as Lance settled her in her proper sleeping spot and covered her up.

Lance crept from the room, closing the door softly behind him and continued his search.

* * *

Lance's checking on Hunk and Allura found both sleeping soundly. He would have checked on Coran, but in all his searching, Lance had never been able to figure out where -or if- Coran actually slept.

Lance only paused briefly outside Keith's door. He knew from past experience that opening Keith's door in the middle of the night would only result in Keith's dagger flying inches past his face. Keith either spent a lot of time awake at night or was an incredibly light sleeper. Whichever it was, Lance wasn't going to test the edgy boy's accuracy at two in the morning.

Lance reached Shiro's door and hesitated. He had never had to check up on Shiro, so he was uncertain what sort of response he would get from the eldest paladin. Would he even be awake?

Deciding Shiro would understand, Lance took a deep breath and opened the door.

No Shiro.

"Huh," Lance murmured, glancing around.

Shiro kept his room very neat and orderly, with very little extras. Aside from a few gadgets Pidge had given him for planet exploration, there was nothing else. If Keith's room wasn't so starkly bare, Shiro's would have that honor.

Lance lifted the crumpled blanket at the foot of the bed, as if Shiro could be hidden under there, then stepped back and surveyed the room with a practised eye.

From the messy blanket and the way Shiro's pajamas were laying across the room, Lance decided Shiro must have woken up abruptly, gotten dressed, and left in a hurry.

No alarms had been sounded, they weren't under attack. There wouldn't have been any need to rush if Shiro had simply woken up and gone someplace, though.

Lance left the room and started for the bridge. Most likely, Shiro had gone there to check on things.

* * *

When Lance reached the bridge, he breathed a sigh of relief to find Shiro.

"Hey, Shiro, what are you doing?" Lance asked, walking closer.

Shiro didn't respond or move. He was simply standing in the center of the room, staring straight ahead. He was dressed in his paladin armor, and the helmet sat on the corner of Coran's console.

"Uh, Shiro?" Lance tried when he was directly behind the black paladin.

Shiro dropped his head and murmured something Lance didn't catch. Then he abruptly turned, almost walking into Lance before Lance could move out of the way.

That's when Lance saw why Shiro wasn't responding.

Shiro walked slowly across the room. He bumped into Keith's console, frowned, and started in another direction.

All without opening his eyes.

"You're sleepwalking?" Lance said incredulously, following Shiro.

Shiro halted and turned his head toward Lance's voice, but gave no answer. His body was loose, unlike his normally terse stance, further proof that Shiro wasn't awake.

Lance reached out, then drew his hand back as Shiro started walking again. Lance had dealt with enough sleepwalking cousins to know that it was a bad idea to wake up a sleepwalker. There was no telling how they could respond.

Instead, Lance sat in his chair to wait Shiro out. If they were lucky, Shiro would go back to bed on his own or possibly wake up on his own terms.

Lance wondered how long Shiro been sleepwalking. Was this his first time? He made a mental note that the others would need to keep an eye on Shiro if they camped out on an unfamiliar planet.

"Hey!" Shiro suddenly called.

Lance jumped to his feet, but Shiro still seemed sound asleep. He was frowning up at the ceiling. Lance looked up, but saw nothing.

"Get down from there, Pidge," Shiro ordered.

Lance had to stifle a laugh. Shiro was taking sleepwalking even further, to sleep-talking! Lance wondered if he could find some sort of video recorder. No one would ever believe him.

Shiro's steps became quicker, and he was still looking at the ceiling. His head moved back-and-forth as he tracked something only he could see.

Lance watched him carefully. Despite the humor of the situation, Lance knew he would have to step in if there was the possibility of Shiro hurting himself.

Shiro froze, and his next words wiped the grin from Lance's face.

"Matt?"

Shiro's expression had taken on a mix of confusion and sadness. His frame tensed.

Lance stepped closer. Was he waking up!

"Matt!" Shiro shouted, surging forward.

"Wait!" Lance yelped as Shiro ran from the room. He darted after him, fearful of Shiro running blind through the Castle.

Lance burst into the long hallway outside the bridge just as there was a crash at the end. Lance turned and winced. Shiro hadn't taken the corner, and was currently kneeling on the floor. He ran to Shiro's side.

Shiro's eyes were half-open, staring at the ground. His breaths came in shuddering pants.

"Shiro?" Lance tried reaching out to touch Shiro's shoulder.

At the contact, Shiro's flesh hand flashed up to clench the front of Lance's shirt. Before Lance could react, Shiro was on his feet. Shiro spun, jerking Lance with him, and slamming the boy into the wall hard enough to knock his breath away. His Galra hand, glowing brightly by that time, was held inches from Lance's face.

Lance's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as he struggled to catch his breath. Both hands were wrapped around Shiro's Galra arm, ready to push back if the hand started to move. He stared with panicked eyes into Shiro's unfocused ones.

For a moment, neither moved. Then the sound of Lance sucking in oxygen filled the hallway. Shiro flinched, arm moving back marginally.

"Shiro, wake up," Lance wheezed. "It's me, Lance."

Shiro started at the sound of Lance's voice. He blinked, eyes slowly coming into focus. The glowing in his arm faded away as he lowered it.

Shiro stared uncomprehendingly at Lance for a few seconds, then horror filled his face. He released Lance's shirt and took two quick steps back.

"Lance? Where… What…." Shiro looked quickly around the room. "What did I do?"

Lance busied himself with straightening his shirt. When he was sure his voice wouldn't quiver, he said, "You were sleepwalking."

"Lance. What did I do?" Shiro sounded edgy and nervous.

"Nothing."

Shiro didn't take his gaze off Lance.

Lance sighed. "Okay. So you might've… thrown me against a wall." Shiro groaned, and Lance quickly added. "But it wasn't your fault. You were only half-awake, and I touched your shoulder. I shouldn't have tried to get your attention until you were fully awake."

Shiro didn't respond, his expression turning decidedly pained.

"Shiro, it's fine," Lance said. He gestured to himself. "No harm done, see?"

"But I could've." Shiro groaned. "I don't get it. I've never left my room before."

"This has happened before?"

Realizing he had said more than he intended, Shiro winced. "Uh… maybe. Let's just go back to bed and forget about this."

Lance stepped to the side to block Shiro. "Shiro. How long?"

Shiro shook his head and tried to walk around Lance, but he simply side-stepped back in Shiro's way.

"Ignoring it won't make it go away," Lance said.

Shiro looked away. After a moment, he sighed and said, "Since I got back, a couple times a week. Maybe more. I only know when I wake up out of my bed."

Lance blinked in surprise. So often? It was worse than Lance had thought!

"Well… that just won't do." Lance sat against the wall and patted the ground beside him. "Sit."

Shiro shifted from foot to foot. "I don't know. We should really just go back to bed."

"Shiro," Lance said in a playfully warning tone.

Shiro sighed and gave in. He sat stiffly beside Lance.

"Do you remember dreaming whenever you find you've been sleepwalking?" Lance asked.

Shiro shrugged. "I guess. Why?"

"You don't just start sleepwalking out of the blue for no reason," Lance explained. "A cousin of mine started sleepwalking for a week when his dog ran away. We kept finding him outside, trying to find the dog. Luckily, the dog came back before anything happened." Lance grinned. "We haven't had a dog since we got to space, so I doubt it's that."

"Doubt it," Shiro agreed.

"So, what do you dream about?" Lance asked.

"Why?"

Noting the way Shiro stiffened at the question, Lance nodded. "I bet whatever it is that is causing your sleepwalking could be causing your dream. Spill."

Shiro was quiet for so long that Lance didn't think he would get an answer. Then, in a small, slow voice, Shiro explained.

"It always starts the same. I see Matt, standing in the hallway of the Galra ship, looking the same as the day we left for Kerberos. Happy. Healthy. Then, something rises up behind him. Sometimes it's the Galra guards, or one of the beasts we were forced to fight… sometimes it's Zarkon." The words were coming faster, the sentences flooding out now. "He's dragged off into the darkness. I rush after him, but I see nothing. I hear him and his father calling out to me. Other voices join in. Pidge's. Your's. Allura's." The words tumbled over one another, losing coherency as Shiro's voice cracked. "Calling. But I can't… they took them… I run, I-I try… but I can't… I can't!"

Lance laid a hand on Shiro's shoulder, and the stoic older man broke down completely. His face dropped into his hands. His shoulders begin shaking as tears leaked through his fingers.

"I tried," Shiro rasped in a voice completely unlike anything Lance had heard from him.

"Shh, it's okay," Lance soothed. "I'm here."

Lance reached up and ran his fingers through Shiro's bedraggled hair. Shiro started at the act, then relaxed into the gentle touch.

"It's nothing but a dream," Lance went on, voice falling into a low croon. "We're here, and safe."

"But, Matt-"

"We'll find him." Then Lance said the words that Shiro had been desperately needing to hear. "It's not your fault."

Shiro gave a wordless moan and slumped with his head pressed to Lance's shoulder. Lance continued to stroke Shiro's hair, murmuring words of comfort to Shiro.

The pair sat in the hall for a long time. Shiro gradually calmed down under Lance's calming presence. He gave long, sad sigh that echoed through the hall, then closed his blood-shot eyes.

After a while, Lance became aware of Shiro's long, steady breathing. He smiled softly at Shiro, wishing silently that he had noticed his anguish sooner. He could have helped him. The team could have helped.

Lance leaned his head against the top of Shiro's. He'd have to be sure that Shiro knew he was there for him, anytime he needed to talk. Maybe he could explain what had happened to the others, and they could help.

No, Lance decided as soon as the thought crossed his mind. Shiro didn't want anyone to know about this. It would probably drive him crazy that Lance knew.

" _Well,_ " Lance thought. " _I'll just have to help him any way I can."_

* * *

Lance had intended to stay awake to rouse Shiro before anyone found them, but that had turned out to the easier said than done.

Lance and Shiro were awakened by Coran the next morning. Shiro acted flustered, upset that someone had found him sleeping in the halls, and Lance was afraid that Coran would ask them why they had fallen asleep on the floor.

But Coran didn't inquire, and didn't say anything to the rest of the team when they gathered that morning. Lance got the sense that Coran had seen the whole episode, but was keeping quiet.

The next weeks got better for Shiro. His talk with Lance had done more good than either had expected.

That wasn't to say Shiro's nightmares or sleepwalking stopped, but their happenings was greatly reduced. On occasion, Lance would wake in the night to find that Shiro had sleepwalked into his room, instinctively going to him for comfort and kind words. It was a start, Lance figured. Maybe one day, Shiro's nightmares would end forever.

Until then, Lance would be there for Shiro.

* * *

 **A/N: What do you think? I was trying for a bit of angst there. Sorry if Shiro was a little OOC.**

 **Up next: Lance finds out the Keith was injured during a mission and tries to convince him to get medical care.**


	4. Keith

**A/N: Slight blood warning in this chapter.**

* * *

Lance had always known that Keith was reckless, but some days he had to wonder if he had any common sense whatsoever.

This was one of those times.

The team had been ambushed while responding to a distress call from an unfamiliar planet. They had taken cover behind some boulders, but Keith had crouched there for only a second before leaping out to take on the entire patrol single-handed.

"Is he crazy?!" Lance paused momentarily from his wild gesturing. "Wait, yes he is. We always knew that."

"Not the time," Shiro said grumpily, before hurtling himself into the midst of the Galra blasts.

Hunk and Pidge looked at each other and traded shrugs. Hunk hefted up his large cannon and swung himself out from under cover, while Pidge materialized her shield and followed Shiro's lead. Lance sighed and stepped out from behind the rock, gun flashing up to his shoulder.

Keith was in the midst of the drones, cutting them down steadily, but not fast enough as they quickly closed in on him. Shiro and Pidge were attempting to reach him, but were having poor luck. Hunk's cannon was too wild to clear the drones without possibly hitting Keith.

Which meant Lance had to get Keith out of this mess. Again.

With dangerous accuracy, Lance took out one drone after another. He mainly aimed for those behind Keith, but when a decent-sized area around Keith was drone free, Lanc cockily shot down a pair of drones that Keith was just swinging for.

Keith swung around to glare at Lance. Lance smirked at him. Keith glared more fiercely, then, with a sudden twitch, turned back to the fight.

The paladins soon finished off the drones and raced for where their lions waited.

* * *

A short bit later, Allura was wormholing the Castle far away before the Galra could catch up. The paladins gathered in the bridge, all grumbling about the trap they had fallen into.

"The planet wasn't even populated," Shiro said in disgust.

"We need a way to sort out the real distress calls from the false," Hunk said. "If we get tricked one more time..."

Lance, sprawled tiredly in his chair, didn't add to the conversation. Instead, he studied his teammates, knowing the last few days of battling with the Galra was as exhausting to them as he found it to be.

Pidge's reflexes that day had been way slow. She had almost been taken out twice during the ambush, before they had found cover. Shiro was on edge constantly, and easy-going Coran was starting to get snappish.

Only Keith seemed unaffected. He had been the one to spot the ambush, saving the team from serious injury or capture.

" _What's a little sleep-deprivation to Keith,"_ Lance thought moodily, turning his gaze to the red paladin standing toward the back of the group.

Keith had his arms crossed tightly, and was saying nothing. Lance thought he looked a little pale, but he had been acting off since the ambush. Lance guessed he had been more shaken by the attack than he would ever admit.

Then, Keith silently turned and strode from the room. Everyone's back was to Keith, so Lance was the only to notice.

Lance narrowed his eyes. Was Keith… limping? There was something odd and jerky about how Keith was walking, but he was out of the room before Lance could see the cause.

Lance stood, blurted out an excuse about getting food that no one noticed, and quickly followed Keith.

* * *

Lance soon caught up with Keith, who was walking at a snail's pace. His body was arched slightly to the left, and his arms were still crossed. If he heard Lance's approach, he gave no indication.

"Hey, Keith," Lance called.

Keith didn't give a response, and Lance huffed. Lance caught up to Keith and grabbed his left arm, giving it a tug to stop Keith.

Which promptly got a response from Keith, just not at all what Lance was expecting.

Keith let out an odd, strangled yell. He spun on his heel, and smashed his fist into Lance's stomach hard enough to knock him onto his back.

"Hey, what gives?!" Lance yelped, scrambling back to his feet.

Keith stared at Lance blankly, panting hard. His left hand was pressed against his side, a fact that didn't escape Lance's notice, though he couldn't bring himself to care at that moment.

"You startled me," Keith finally said by way of explanation.

"So, you punched me? Really? That's overboard, even for you."

Keith lifted his hands to shrug. "I'm sorry!"

Lance opened his mouth to sarcastically reply that that was the first apology he had ever heard from Keith, when he froze. "Keith?"

"That's what happens when you just sneak up on people," Keith went on.

"Keith."

"Warn people before you go yanking on their arms." Keith started to turn away, as if that would end the conversation.

"Keith!"

Lance reached out and snagged Keith's left arm before Keith could leave. Keith started to protest, then Lance turned his arm to Keith could see his own hand.

A hand that was sticky with blood.

Keith gaped at his hand, then his eyes traveled slowly down to his side, finally seeing what Lance had been trying to tell him.

His black underarmor had a large slash just above his waistline. There was a long cut in Keith's side, oozing blood.

Lance remembered the way Keith had jerked around after glaring at him, and felt a flash of guilt. In the moment of distraction, one of the drones must have shot Keith.

"You're going to a pod, right now," Lance said, starting to turn away.

"What? N-no, it's fine, it's just a little cut," Keith protested, pressing a hand against the wound.

"You aren't getting away that easily," Lance said, reaching out to Keith.

"No!" Keith said more forcefully. He stepped away from Lance. "I've dealt with worse, on my own, without a healing pod."

Keith cringed at Lance's pitying look. Lance saw this, and switched his expression to smug.

"Yeah, because you didn't have any medical supplies in that falling-down shack of yours." Lance grinned at the way Keith bristled when he said that. He went on, "However, this Castle has everything we need for when you get yourself hurt."

"I'm fine," Keith insisted.

Lance crossed his arms, determined to be just as stubborn as Keith. "Come on. Don't make me knock you out and drag you."

Keith snorted. "Like you could."

"Care to test that theory?" Lance asked, taking a step forward.

"What? Lance, no, just knock it off," Keith said, backing away.

"Not until you accept my help!" Lance cried in obvious glee.

Keith spun around and took off, with Lance close behind.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Keith was hunched grumpily on an examination table in the medical room. His paladin armor lay in a pile on the floor, and his underarmor was pulled down to his waist. Lance was digging around the supply closets.

"I'll have you know that you never would have caught me under normal circumstances," Keith muttered.

Lance studied a bottle and added it to a pile at his feet. "Yeah, just keep telling yourself that." He walked back to Keith, holding bandages and a few bottles.

"What are those?" Keith asked as Lance put the bottles beside him.

"For cleansing wounds, and some sort of anti-bacterial ointment," Lance said, pointing to the first two bottles. He picked up a jar. "And this is supposed to numb pain, but I haven't had a chance to try it. You'll be the guinea pig."

"Thanks," Keith snorted. "How do you know what all those things do?"

Lance took a rag and wet it in a sink beside the table. "I asked Coran. Now, hold still."

Keith hissed through his teeth as Lance went to work wiping the cut clean. He gritted out, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why were you curious?"

Lance chuckled. "Because it was only a matter of time before someone got hurt, and I wanted to be able to take care of it if they were too stubborn to get in a pod."

Keith grunted, choosing to ignore the teasing.

"There." Lance wiped away the last of the blood.

Lance gave the cut an appraising eye. It was shallow, and had already stopped bleeding. Keith would have to be careful for a few days, but Lance didn't think it was bad enough to try and convince him to get into a pod.

"Well, the good news is, you won't die. The bad news is that you may never play the flute again."

Keith raised his eyebrows. "I never played the flute."

"Then you won't know what you're missing." Lance picked up the numbing ointment. "That anti-bacterial stuff stings like crazy, so you'll need this."

"Fine." Keith nervously eyed the door, afraid of someone seeing him injured.

"I'll be quick," Lance said with a roll of his eyes.

Lance was true to his word. In a few short minutes, Lance had the wound properly cleaned and dressed. He stepped back, nodding proudly at his work.

"There. Take it easy for a week, if you can manage that long," Lance instructed. "If you need to, we can tell the others you got hurt, and we can make do without you for a bit."

Keith, who had been inspecting the bandage, jerked his head up. "No."

"No? Keith, everyone will understand."

Keith stood up, an act that would have been painful if his side wasn't still numb. "I'm not going to let you fight the Galra without me."

"Calm down, man, we won't replace you this time."

Keith visibly flinched.

Lance frowned. "Keith… you don't actually think we would replace you."

Keith dropped his head to stare at his feet. "What if I had been hurt bad?"

Lance blinked. "You do realize that we don't expect you to be immortal, right? We all get hurt! I almost _died_."

Keith cocked an eyebrow. "Slight exaggeration."

"Regardless," Lance went on, "You all had to make do that time without me, and I'm still here, aren't I? Of course, I am unique. One of a kind. Good luck finding someone to replace me." Lance sobered. "What I am trying to say, every one of us will get hurt at some point or another. But we're a team. We're there for each other." Lance shook his head. "No one expects you to take on the Galra by yourself."

"I refuse to be a burden to the team," Keith said stiffly.

Lance threw his hands in the air with an exclamation of exasperation. "I'm trying to tell you that you aren't! Keith, when it comes to fighting our battles, you have more zeal than all of us combined. While that is somewhat concerning," Lance allowed, "We trust you and need you too much to throw you away. You are a valuable and necessary member of this team, Keith. No one thinks otherwise. No one."

Keith scuffed a foot. "You think so?"

"I know so! Ask anyone. Wait, we can't do that, someone might think you have feelings." Lance grinned. "And we wouldn't want that."

Keith huffed, though Lance could see a slight smile on his face.

A blaring alarm made the boys look up. The red emergency lights flashed.

"We've been spotted by a Galra patrol!" came Coran's voice from the speakers at the corners of the room. "Everyone, get to your lions!"

When Lance turned to Keith, he was already pulling the underarmor back up.

"So I guess that means I won't be able to convince you to stay here?" Lance asked with a sigh.

Keith sat down to jerk the paladin armor onto his legs. "No."

"Why won't you believe me when-"

Keith stood and put his hands on Lance's shoulder. "Lance. I believe you. It's just that… if I can fight, I will."

Keith immediately stepped back, embarrassed by his little speech. He hurried to put on the last of his armor, then looked for his helmet, which had disappeared.

"Okay, Keith, I'll let you do this."

Lance's statement made Keith lift his head. Lance was holding out Keith's helmet, a long-suffering smile on his face.

"Just know that we're all watching your back," Lance said.

Keith smiled and took the helmet. "And I'm watching yours."

* * *

 **A/N: A little corny? Maybe. But you have to be very straight-forward with Keith, or else he might not get it. ;P I know Hunk is usually the one that is assumed to have the medic persona, but with a family Lance's size, he's bound to have picked up some doctoring traits.**

 **Up next: Lance has been acting strangely. The team investigates and finds that he is homesick, and try to remind him of the family he has in the Castle. Contains fluff, literal and emotional.**


	5. Lance

**A/N: Upon posting the previous Lance chapter, I realized that his chapter didn't quite fit the theme. For all the others, it was about Lance comforting them in a difficult time. While the others were there for Lance, it was in a peril-induced situation, rather than a moment of vulnerability. Plus, it was bugging me that the one chapter had forced me to up the rating to a T because of the blood. So, I came up with this idea instead. The original chapter was kept, and another version (told from another character's perspective) will probably make an appearance at a later date.**

* * *

Hunk was the first one to notice that something was off with Lance.

It was during a debrief in the lounge. Hunk was wistfully thinking that the team had an overdue supper afterwards when he noticed Lance's silence.

This was odd because Lance and Blue had played a big part in taking out an underwater Galra base on a swampy planet. They had been the only pair that could get close to the base in the murky water, and they had drawn out the sentries for the other lions to take out, allowing Blue to plant an explosive that had destroyed the base. Normally, Lance would be tooting his own horn very loudly.

But Lance sat, oddly silent, through the whole meeting.

Shiro noticed this as well, though he thought less of it. Lance and Blue had been going since early that morning, so he figured that the boy was just tired. He made up for Lance's silence by praising his efforts soundly.

But if Lance noticed, he didn't show it. He was staring blankly across the room, nodding on occasion as if he were paying attention.

"Okay…" Shiro ended slowly. "Go get some rest."

Keith stood and left. Probably to train, Shiro thought with a grim shake of his head. Pidge scampered off with Coran. Allura headed for the bridge, and Shiro was about to follow when he noticed Hunk lingering at the door and Lance still in his seat.

"Lance?" Shiro asked.

Lance started, head jerking up. A wide grin crooked his face. "Yes?"

"Are you alright? You're pretty quiet today."

Lance blinked. Something crossed his expression, but Lance stood before Shiro could determine what it was.

"Sure, I'm just, you know, tired," Lance said, walking away. "I'm going to bed. Wow, I'm tired. Don't expect me up for a week!"

Shiro chuckled, forgetting his concern. "Yeah, good luck with that."

Lance gave a playful salute and strutted out. Shiro shook his head. He would have brushed aside the event, but he noticed worry in Hunk's eyes as he left behind Lance.

* * *

Pidge was next, a couple days later.

She was working in Green's hanger, growling over a stubborn bit of machinery. She dug through a tray of Altaen tools, still not fully knowledgeable in how to use each one. She heard footsteps and lifted her head, expecting to see Coran.

Instead, Lance walked into the hanger. Pidge huffed quietly and dropped her head. She wasn't in the mood for Lance's jokes. She decided to just ignore him.

After a moment of silence, though, Pidge's curiosity got the better of her and she looked back up to see Lance simply staring at the floor without moving.

"Hey, Lance, forget where you were going?" Pidge asked, trying to beat Lance to the kidding.

Lance jumped, his head jerking up. For a moment, his expression was confused, as if he _had_ forgotten where he was going.

"Oh, hey, Pidge. Nah, just taking inventory," Lance said, his know-it-all grin returning.

"Of what? The floor tiles?"

"Well, somebody's got to make sure they are all where they belong." Lance turned and left before before Pidge could even try to understand his logic.

* * *

Shiro hadn't thought about the incident in the lounge for a few days when he came across Lance in the halls. He halted before Lance could notice him.

Lance was staring into space out one of the wide windows in the wall. His arms hung loose at his sides, body swaying slightly as if caught in a breeze. Shiro couldn't see his face, but his entire frame held a tired droop.

"Lance, are you alright?" Shiro asked, raising a hand to put on his shoulder.

Lance started and turned, taking a few steps away before Shiro's hand could come down. He kept his head ducked down and body angled away.

"Yep, never better. Need anything, Shiro?" Lance asked, voice strangely subdued.

"No, but-"

"Good, because Hunk and I have this… thing," Lance waved his hands, rapidly backing away. "See you later!" He spun on his heel and all but ran away.

"Wait!" Shiro called, but Lance was already gone.

* * *

The next day, a serious-faced Hunk entered the training deck while Shiro and Keith were training. Pidge followed, hesitant concern on her features.

"Computer, end simulation," Shiro said, sensing the pair wasn't there for training.

The training robot ended its attack and sunk into the floor. Keith, panting heavily, gave Shiro a confused look before turning to see Hunk and Pidge.

"Hunk? Pidge? What's up?" Shiro asked.

"It's Lance," Hunk said.

"He's been acting a little… strange," Pidge added.

Keith snorted. "I'll say. I keep finding him in the elevator."

"How's that strange?" Pidge asked. "Elevators are how we get around."

"He's just standing in the elevator when its _not going anywhere_ ," Keith said. "I thought he was just trying to scare me the first time, but it keeps happening."

"See? Lance has been acting strange since that swamp planet," Hunk said.

Shiro opened his mouth to object that finding Lance in the elevator was no cause for concern, but paused. He remembered Lance in the lounge, and staring into space. Pidge had mentioned off-hand about when he had made claims about counting floor tiles.

"Maybe we should look into this," Shiro said instead.

* * *

As if he could sense the increased observation, Lance acted completely normal for the next few days. He flirted with Allura, teased Pidge, nagged Keith, and hung out with Hunk.

Everyone -Allura and Coran had been alerted as well- kept a close eye on the blue paladin, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

His teammates gave up their worries one by one -even Hunk- figuring that whatever had been causing Lance's actions had passed.

It wasn't until late one night, a week later, that their questions were suddenly answered.

* * *

Shiro woke up to find himself in the Castle halls. He glanced around in sleepy confusion. Since the time Lance had found him, Shiro was less jumpy about his sleepwalking, but except for the time Lance had awoken him, he had never woken up outside one of the bedrooms.

He blinked and rubbed his eyes to wake himself up fully before checking where he stood. Nowhere near the bedrooms, but close to the lounge door.

Shiro turned to go back to his room, but a shuffling sound from the lounge made him freeze. Something telling him to be quiet, Shiro tip-toed over to peek inside.

At first, Shiro could only see a pile of blanket on the couch that he didn't think had been there earlier that day. Then the pile shifted and cappuccino-brown hair poked over the back of the couch.

" _Lance?"_ Shiro mouthed.

Shiro craned his neck to try and see if Lance was comforting on of the other paladins in the blanket nest, as he knew happened on occasion if they were homesick or such.

But as Shiro searched, he saw only Lance and didn't hear the murmur that accompanied Lance's comforting a friend. Shiro shrugged and turned to creep from the room.

A small sigh filled the room, causing Shiro to freeze once again.

"Get yourself together," Lance's quiet voice reached Shiro's ears. "It's been months since we came to space, and it's not like anyone else is affected."

Shiro cocked his head, wondering who Lance could be talking so coldly to.

"Once we take care of Zarkon, we can go home," Lance murmured on. "Until then, keep it together. The team needs you, Lance."

Was Lance pep-talking himself? Shiro might have been amused, if there hadn't been a hint of cracking in Lance's voice.

"If everyone else is fine, so are you, so there. If anyone saw you now…" Lance's voice trailed off with a sigh. The blankets squirmed, and the tuft of hair disappeared.

Shiro quietly left the room.

* * *

"Lance is homesick?" Hunk asked.

Shiro nodded, glancing at Pidge and Keith as he did. Upon this realization, Shiro had gathered the other paladins in his room to explain what he had learned.

"After all this time?" Keith asked. "Why didn't it happen earlier?"

"Well, it did, back on Arus," Hunk pointed out. "We kind of forgot it, after Lance almost dying and almost losing the Castle."

"Okay, so has he been homesick since then?" Pidge asked.

"As much as the rest of us," Hunk said with a shrug. "I bet that water planet made him think of home. All that swimming reminded him of the ocean back home."

Shiro saw the logic in that. "Knowing Lance, he has probably been pushing aside his homesickness, but the swimming brought it all back."

"Know what's wrong is good and all," Pidge said, "But now what?"

"We help him remember his family here in space," Hunk said firmly.

Keith blinked, eyes glazing slightly. "And how are we supposed to do that? He knows we are here."

Hunk gave a huge smile. "I have just the plan."

* * *

Lance sighed into the stuffy darkness of the blanket pile he had burrowed into. He was terribly tempted to stay where he was at for the next week, but knew the silence and solitude would soon be gone when the others woke up.

Lance had lain awake that night, filled with an awful homesickness that he just couldn't shake. It had indeed started since the mission on the swamp planet. The feeling of being underwater -even riding in Blue- had been a shocking reminder of the waters back home.

Unable to sleep, Lance had gone to the lounge and buried himself under a pile of blankets, seeking the comfort that a blanket nest had always given him when he was younger. Too bad he was missing the siblings and cousins that had inevitably joined him in the nest.

" _This isn't getting me anywhere,"_ Lance decided after a bit. " _Might as well go back to bed."_

But before he could move, Lance felt something squeeze the sides of the blanket pile and lift. He clamped his lips closed on a startled yelp, not wanting whoever was there to know he was in the blankets.

Frozen stiff and trying not to breathe too loudly, Lance became aware of a murmur of voices outside his nest.

"Here, line these up," came Shiro's voice.

"Found some more!" Pidge said in an excited voice.

"Not so loud," hushed Shiro.

Lance squinted in confusion. Had he fallen asleep and it was now daytime? And if it was, what were the other paladins doing?

"Looking good," came Hunk's voice from directly above. He must have been the one holding the blankets, Lance realized.

"Are you sure?" Keith asked. "I've never made one of these."

There was a surprised exclamation from Pidge, who was once again hushed. She said in a lower voice, "How can you never have made one?"

Keith grunted.

"Well, it's about time you learned," Pidge said.

Lance smirked, amused at listening to the others even if he didn't have a clue what they were doing. After several minutes, they fell silent. The blanket pile shifted, and Lance tensed. He had forgotten that Hunk was holding the pile.

"Are you sure he's in there?" Keith asked.

"He was when I came in before," Shiro said.

"Well, he's in here, but he hasn't moved. He's either asleep, or playing possum," Hunk said, and the pile shifted again.

" _They're talking about me!"_ Lance abruptly realized.

On cue, the blankets covering Lance's head were pulled away, letting in light and cool air. He tipped his head back to see Shiro and Hunk looking down at him.

"Is it morning already?" Lance asked innocently.

Hunk glanced around in an exaggerated manner. "Nope. Middle of the night."

"Then what are we doing here?" Lance tried to wriggle from the blanket but Hunk tightened his hold, and Lance found himself stuck. "Hunk, put me down and let's go to bed."

Hunk grinned. "Okay."

"Wait, no, no-" Lance protested, but too late.

He gave a startled squawk when Hunk let go, dropping Lance and the blankets. Lance fell in a tangle with the blankets, though he was relieved for their cushioning his fall. He thrust the blankets away from his head and shoulders to glare at Hunk, only to freeze in shock.

Hunk had actually dropped Lance into a whole different blanket nest. The new nest had the couch cushions pulled to the floor, with blankets and pillows that had to have come from the bedrooms piled along the edges.

Sitting across from Lance in the nest was Pidge and Keith. Pidge was practically bouncing in place, smiling wider than Lance had ever seen, while the latter wore a reserved expression as he fluffed up a pillow in his lap.

"What do you think?" Hunk asked as he climbed in beside Lance.

Lance realized his mouth was hanging open, and closed it with a snap. A surge of emotion rose up in him, causing him to swallow hard.

"What is this all about?" Lance asked.

Shiro answered as he squeezed between Pidge and Keith. "We noticed that you haven't really been yourself lately, and thought you might have been homesick. Hunk said that your family used to make blanket and pillow nest all the time at home, and, well, we're your family, right?"

Lance cleared his throat. "Yeah, but… it's kind of silly isn't it?"

Now Pidge did really bounce. "Not at all! Matt and I used to make pillow forts and nests all the time! I've been missing them myself. Plus, Keith said he had never made a nest before, so _somebody_ had to show him."

Lance smiled at Pidge. Her excitement and shining eyes so reminded him of some of his youngest cousins when he would build them a blanket nest.

Without warning, his eyes turned watery. Lance ducked his head into the blanket, feeling uncomfortably vulnerable.

Then a pillow smacked the back of his head.

Lance lifted his head, mouth open in playful dismay. Keith was noticeably missing the pillow from his lap, and Shiro was frowning sternly at him.

"Oh, so that's how it will be," Lance said lowly, hand creeping toward a pillow from the nest walls. "But I'll have you know that I am the pillow fight champion!"

The last word ended in a shout of alarm as Lance tried to lunge forward with the pillow, only to find that his lower half was quite stuck in his original nest. Lance fell face-first into the cushions, but promptly rolled over and chucked the pillow at Keith.

Keith caught the pillow easily, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. He leaned forward to whack Lance again, but Shiro came to Lance's aid, hitting Keith with his own pillow before he could reach Lance.

"Pillow fight!" Pidge cried, snatching up a pillow and leaping onto Keith.

Taken by surprise by both attacks, Keith was knocked flat. Pidge perched with her knees on his shoulders, giggling madly, until Keith regained his senses and shoved her away.

"Everyone get Keith!" Pidge crowed as Keith took up a pillow and turned on her.

Lance finally managed to wretch himself free from the blankets and grabbed a pillow in both hands. "How dare you go after Pidge! Hunk, back me up, I'm going in!"

* * *

Some time later, the paladins had collapsed in a breathless heap. Occasionally, one would threateningly wave a pillow, dropping it on themselves by accident more often than actually hitting anyone.

Lance, panting hard and grinning so wide he thought his face would crack, was sprawled in the center. His head laid on Shiro's shoulder, and Hunk was pressed up against his right side. Shiro had half of a snoozing Pidge across his body, his flesh hand running gently through her tousled hair. Lance's left hand was pinned and going numb under her body, but he was content to leave her undisturbed. Keith lay on Shiro's other side, seeming somewhat uncomfortable with Pidge's leg across his stomach -her other pressed between Shiro and Keith's body- but he wasn't making any actions to move her.

Lance sighed happily. His earlier distress hadn't left completely, but he felt much better now. It had been nice to participate in a silly activity that Lance had thought he would have to give up since coming to space.

"Thanks you guys," Lance murmured, eyes slipping shut. "This is the best time I've had since coming to space. Let's do it again sometime.

Lance felt Hunk's arms encircle his body, and Shiro's hand on his head.

"Anytime, buddy," he heard Shiro whisper as he dropped to sleep.


End file.
